The Persian-language media reported today (Saturday) that on Tuesday this week Dr. Ayub Antzari, an expert in aerospace engineering at the Sheriff’s University in Tehran, died. His death has yet to be reported in official Iranian media.
Meanwhile, Iran denies reports that a cyber attack hit the passport control system at Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran last night.
Tonight, news outlets in Iran that are part of the opposition said that they had hacked the system for several hours.
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According to these reports, the break-in caused takeoff disruptions, and many passengers could not enter the country or missed connecting flights. A port spokesman said a hardware malfunction in the server caused the disruptions, and it was fixed within a few hours.
Accident, suicide, or murder?
Earlier this week, another Iranian died under mysterious circumstances. The Quds Force commander, Ali Ismailazada, died Monday after falling from the roof of his house in Jahan Nama, in the Karaj area. Sources reported this to the opposition media “Iran International”.
The official government news agency of Iran IRNA confirmed Ali Esmailzadeh’s death on June 3. According to IRNA, the IRGC colonel died in an accident, and an inquiry has begun.
A week ago, the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency said that Esmailzadeh was “killed after falling from a house terrace” in the city of Karaj, near Tehran.
Iran’s state media made the claims only after London-based TV station, Iran International, reported that Esmailzadeh had been killed by Iranian intelligence because they suspected he was involved in the May 22 murder of another IRGC colonel.
On May 22, gunmen assassinated Colonel Hassan Sayad Khodaei outside his residence in Tehran. Tehran provided a few details on Khodaei, blamed Israel for the murder, and pledged retribution. Israeli media say that he was in charge of the Quds Force, the IRGC’s branch that works outside of Iran and plans attacks against Israelis abroad.
According to Iran International, Esmailzadeh was a “close associate” of Khodaei. Following Khodaei’s murder, Iranian intelligence probed suspected security leaks within the IRGC and “grew suspicious of Esmailzadeh and was determined to remove him,” according to unidentified officials cited in the report.
Iran International also claimed that Iranian intelligence made his killing appear a suicide. The report stated that IRGC officials informed Esmailzadeh’s family that he committed suicide “because of psychological issues resulting from his separation from his wife” and that he had written a suicide note.
IRNA cited an unidentified source who said the International’s article is “fake news.”
British daily The Guardian, added Iran International is backed by a company with deep links to the Saudi Arabian government, another of Tehran’s regional enemies. The station refutes the accusation.
Khodaei’s murder was the most prominent outside Iran since the assassination of Iran’s foremost nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, outside Tehran in November 2020.
The death of Khodaei is one of a string of incidents, including killings, sabotage, and cyberattacks, for which Tehran has accused Israel. They say Tel Aviv was responsible for the murders of at least four Iranian nuclear scientists. People are worried that foreign intelligence services may have broken into Iran’s security system to make these killings.
A day before Tehran announced Esmailzadeh’s death, the extremist Telegram group Ammariyoun said that “another member of the IRGC’s Quds Force has been murdered.”
The report was swiftly erased and replaced with the claim that Esmailzadeh had committed suicide by jumping from his balcony. Iran’s Sabereen News, which is thought to have links to the Quds force, also reported Esmailzadeh had fallen from his balcony.
Sabereen News also tweeted, “An investigation has been started, and his death has not been confirmed.” The notification of his funeral did not specify Esmailzadeh’s cause of death.
